The Canadian labour force received a boost of 22,800 net jobs in December, thanks to a big gain in part-time work, according to Statistics Canada.

The federal agency’s latest jobs survey found that positions in the more-desirable category of full-time employment actually fell in December by 6,400. The economy added 29,200 part-time jobs in December.

The national unemployment rate for December remained unchanged at 7.1 per cent.